A nurse who failed to perform CPR on an 85-year-old dying man, and then asked a junior colleague to lie in her defence, has been struck off the nursing register.

Amarjit Heer was the only registered nurse working at Ryland View Nursing Home, Tipton, when she found Santa Ram unresponsive. But rather than immediately trying to save his life, she went to the home’s office to call the emergency services.

The home’s policy states ‘every attempt’ to resuscitate should be made in the event of an unexpected cardiac arrest. 

After Mr Ram’s death the nurse called a care assistant and asked her to say she had seen her perform CPR. A Nursing and Midwifery Council Misconduct panel ruled Heer’s actions amounted to misconduct and she had abused a position of trust. Mr Ram’s son, Raj Ram, said:

“This nurse had a duty of care to my father as a registered nurse and she didn’t give that care out. To then ask a colleague to lie about it is absolutely disgusting.”

He said his father had seven children, 14 grand children, and five great grand children, and was only at the home while work was completed at his Wednesbury home.

A report of the hearing states Heer was working at the Arnhem Way home and at the end of a night shift early on September 16, 2014, Mr Ram went into cardiac arrest. Heer stated she had performed CPR but paramedics said there was no sign CPR had been started.

They performed CPR for 45 minutes before Mr Ram was pronounced dead.

A Bupa spokesman said: “We’re proud of the care our team provides at Ryland View home. She has not worked for us since 2014.”